Thought I'd add an update.
Completed the HIMS Psychiatric Evaluation. Really was over thinking this evaluation and after 15 minutes that nervousness dissipated. The evaluation is very extensive and touches on many areas from childhood to adulthood. Some of the topics related to various mental health questions: anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, drug/alcohol use (past, present & future), family history of mental health concerns, and others. The focus really came down to areas that the doc felt like he should probe. While my expectations was it would be super intrusive, that was not the case at all. Instead, the evaluation was more of a conversation format close to how you would talk to another person - super welcoming format (obviously to get you to be candid). The visit was just over 2 hours and frankly it went by very fast. I was asked to sign a release form to allow the doc to speak with various people I mentioned in our discussion and he said he would like to spend roughly 15 minutes speaking with them.
One thing he mentioned was if there was anything I felt that I didn't want to discuss just simply tell him. As he explained it, anything mentioned can't be unheard. In the event that I said I didn't want to discuss a topic or answer the question, he would respect that but if the information was critical to his report he would call and ask if I would be willing to answer. Luckily, I didn't feel that was needed at any point and answered all questions without issue.
In the end, the report will take 4-6 weeks to complete and he does make a recommendation but ultimately the decision is made by the FAA. He thoroughly explained that in some cases even where he sees zero issues and believes the person is of sound mind to be a pilot the FAA may disagree. Understandable. While he stressed that that was rare, it does happen.
Cost: $600 upfront plus $300 an hour once the final report is tendered. The guesstimate was $2500 - $3200 range.
My only advice: relax it's not as overwhelming as you may think. It's not really a pass or fail evaluation, rather the doctor wants to gauge future expectations - do you have any concerns that the FAA should be aware of in making their determination.
